Josh Lewsey lends hand to instil belief at Wasps

The seeds of Josh Lewsey’s surprise decision to come out of retirement after
almost two years may have been sown during a beer-fuelled rugby tour of
Dublin 10 days ago, but the 2003 World-Cup winner insists his return to
Wasps is a serious business.

Helping hand: Josh Lewsey wants to assist Wasps on and off the field until the end of the seasonPhoto: ACTION IMAGES

Lewsey, who scored 22 tries in 55 games for England in an impressive career for club and country, made an instant return to the professional game last Sunday when he put in a brief appearance from the bench during Wasps’ 39-3 Aviva Premiership defeat by Northampton Saints at Franklin’s Gardens.

Just seven days earlier, the 34 year-old, who retired from the game in May 2009, travelled back from Dublin having been persuaded by former international team-mates that he was still in good enough shape to play in the Premiership.

Lewsey’s mind was made up following his appearance for England Legends against their Irish counterparts in Dublin on the eve of the Six Nations match between the two countries on March 19.

Having kept his rugby skills honed by turning out occasionally for the social side of National Division Two South club Richmond, Lewsey impressed his former team-mates to such an extent that thoughts of coming out of retirement properly quickly turned from beer talk to reality.

“I was out in Dublin with a few of my former Wasps and England team-mates after the game and, after about nine pints of Guinness, some of them started suggesting I should start playing again,” said Lewsey, who made 262 appearances during his 11-year spell at the club and helped Wasps to four Premiership titles, two Heineken Cups and a European Challenge Cup success. “By Monday morning my phone started going mad.”

Word had indeed travelled fast. One of those calls came from Shaun Edwards, the Wasps head coach. By Thursday his return to the club until the end of the season had been confirmed and the following day he was named on the bench for the club’s trip to Northampton.

“I had played a couple of charity games and Wasps don’t have a huge squad, then Shaun just said, ‘You seem to be in reasonable nick, do you mind coming in, just to cover the bench?’ ” Lewsey said. “It’s just at weekends and I’m in the office during the week, but needs must.

“I left the game, it was my choice and it’s still my choice. But if I can help out at weekends and support some of the first-choice guys around match day or even during the week, if someone wants to have a catch-up or say things they can’t say to coaches, then I am happy to help out.”

If Lewsey is quick to downplay his influence on the pitch for Wasps, he is determined to make a difference off it.

These are challenging times for club, who have not won any silverware since they were crowned Premiership champions in 2008.

Without a permanent director of rugby following the departure of Tony Hanks last month, and with some of their key personnel, such as Simon Shaw, Serge Betsen and Joe Worsley nearing the end of their careers, the club are eighth in the Premiership and struggling to qualify for the Heineken Cup next season.

Lewsey admits the club, who are also applying for planning permission to build a new stadium, face a key period of restructuring. But he insists the blueprint for success for the players has not changed.

“If you look at any side that has a great period of success, they always end up having to go through a rebuilding process,” he said. “Anyone would be lying if they said the club are not facing some challenges, but the club realises that and are looking to restructure and recruit over the off-season.

“There are a lot of things as players you can start worrying about like facilities or other bits and pieces. But the success of our club before was based on having guys who were mentally strong enough to put that out of their mind and worry about what they can control, which is what you do on a Saturday or Sunday afternoon, on the field.

“You have seen the transformation in England’s fortunes in the last 12 months. Back then, they were languishing in eighth place in the world, but the beauty about sport is that if you get the dynamic right and tweak a few things, everything can turn around.

“That is what England did and now that is what Wasps are aiming to do. We haven’t got 12 months to do it though, we only have until the end of this season.”

Beer, pies and some rugby

Lewsey first played for the Richmond Heavies on March 12 as a run-out before helping the England Legends take on Ireland in Dublin on March 18. So who are the Heavies?

History The veterans side of Richmond RFC who play in the Surrey Vets League, the Heavies celebrate their 40th anniversary this year.

The culture “The older we get the better we were,” says club secretary Richard Lloyd. “The immaturity just gets more refined as the years pass.” Team captain James Vyvan says of Lewsey: “I strongly believe he has a future with us; perhaps a summer of drinking beer and eating pies will get him into the kind of shape needed.”

The players Vyvan is the older brother of Saracens lock Hugh. The team is a mix of bankers, artists, a rap star, a landlord, a farmer, an auctioneer, a chief executive, a diplomat and now a World Cup winner. Gavin Mairs